Senator O'Mara's weekly column -- for the week of February
18, 2019. His district includes Steuben County.
Legislation called the “Prison Minimum Wage Act” was recently introduced and referred to committee in both the state Senate and Assembly.
Every legislative session there are always proposals that spark a strong reaction from voters. This is one of them. The legislation (Senate Bill Number 3138), sponsored by two state legislators from Brooklyn, proposes to TRIPLE the taxpayer-funded minimum wage for state prison inmates to $3 per hour for the work thousands of inmates do in state prisons including cleaning, maintenance, and manufacturing products.
According to the measure’s sponsors, the purpose of their legislation is “to end the last vestiges of slavery and embrace the spirit and the promise of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution by providing a minimum wage of $3.00 an hour to inmates.”
They say the fiscal implications of their legislation will “be determined.” Of course, we know it would cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
According to the memorandum of support the sponsors filed for their proposal, “A study from the Prison Policy Institute found that inmates in New York State are amongst the lowest paid incarcerated people nationwide…They cannot form unions, do not have a right to workers' compensation if they are injured on the job, and are required to participate in programs as assigned which, if they refuse, could lead them to face disciplinary measures such as solitary confinement and loss of good-time credits…New York State must do better. Our prison system should not be one which is focused on punishment; rather, it should be dedicated to rehabilitation.”
All of the above, in the words of the sponsors themselves, speaks for itself about their intent and thinking. For anyone interested in reading more, including the legislation itself, I have posted a link to it on my Senate website (omara.nysenate.gov) as part of a broader “Join The Fight” petition in opposition to the “Prison Minimum Wage Act.”
Everyone can reach his or her own conclusions on the Act. I strongly oppose it.
No, prisoners cannot form a labor union, nor should they be able to. Yes, prisoners refusing to participate in an assigned program are disciplined. They should be.
Moreover, if you don’t think prisons in New York State have become institutions more focused on rehabilitation than punishment, ask a local correctional officer. This state has gone out of its way focusing on rehabilitation -- too far out of the way, many argue -- to the risk of correctional officers and prison staff who work in these dangerous environments day after day, night after night.
In my opinion, the “Prison Minimum Wage Act” is an unbelievable proposal, especially with New York facing a multi-million-dollar budget deficit and when the state is already failing to live up to its promise of higher wages for hard-working, law-abiding employees like the Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) who care for our citizens with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
As I said recently: Be fair to Direct Care before coddling criminals.
There was a time when a proposal like this one would not have a chance of becoming law. However, members of the governing extreme-Liberal, New York City-centric Democratic majorities in the Senate and Assembly sponsor the legislation. In this new New York State Legislature, there’s just no telling what might be approved.
Consequently, I encourage Southern Tier and Finger Lakes residents who oppose the “Prison Minimum Wage Act” to sign an online petition on omara.nysenate.gov (click on the “Join The Fight” icon near the top of the home page).
If you agree with me, thank you for signing the petition and raising your voice for some common sense.
